Forging machine



w. w. CRILEY 2,038,165

IFORGING MACHINE Filed July 2'7, 1931 2 She et s-Sheetl ATTORNEYJ.

April 21, 1936.

W. W. CRILEY FORGING MACHINE Filed July 27, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

525i Wm @ags ATTORN Patented Apr. 21, 1936 FORGING MACHINE William W. Criley, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to The Ajax Manufacturing ompany,'Cleveia'nd, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application July 2'), 1931, Serial No. 553.341 6 Claims. (01. 1 3) This invention relates to a forging machine which is particularly adapted for use in the manufacture of pipe fittings such as elbows, Ts, Y and similar articles the forms of which are suitable for manufacture by this invention.

The invention is adapted for use with various die arrangements and automatic fitting arrangements, all duly described below, but in its simplest, which is the preferred embodiment, it is capable of being applied by means of two dies of suitable impression in .such a machine as that illustrated by U. 8. Patent No. 364,208 and No. 737,065 for Forging machine, granted to J. R.

Blakeslee on June 7, 1887 and August 25, 1903, respectively, wherein the opposed die faces are in a vertical plane and the opening is in a horizontal direction; or in a machine of the type illustrated by U. S. Patent No. 809,520 for Heading machine, granted to E. C. Meyer on January 9, 1906, wherein the opposed die faces are in a horizontal plane and the die openings are by vertical movement.

Among the objects of the invention is the forging to desired outside shape and displacement of as much material from the interiorof such pieces as is possible so as to reduce waste of material subsequently removed from the interior of the blank, and also material in the form of fin or flash inherent in the usual forging method, along with the labor incident thereto. In addition, to provide a rapid and convenient way of producing such improved blanks, and also-dies of such construction as to reduce wear whereby their production life. will be considerablyprolonged. The same means that areemployed for the dieing and piercing are also helpful in the ready removal of the finished articlefrom the forgingmachine.

The objects of the invention also include lengthening the life of the wearing parts of the dies with corresponding increase in the length of time during which accurate work can.be turned out without re-finishing or replacement of the dies With 'these and other purposes in view, as willbe apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that my invention is not limited to the preferred embodiment shown and described herein,

but may be accomplished in other variations within the scope and spirit of such invention.

' In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 illustrates a simple and preferred form of die and accessory implements for the practice of the invention, Fig. 1? shows in perspective a modified form of piercing tool, Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive illustrate in somewhat diagrammatic style modified apparatus suitable for carrying out the method and also show the'steps of the method, while Figs. 9 to 14 inclusive illustrate another'modified application of the'invention with a definite type of forging machine and stock feed means.

Considering the drawings in detail, Fig. 1 is a face view'of the stationary die for use in the invention with the machine of either Patent No. 10 737,065 or Patent No. 809,520, showing also the piercing tools, the parts being in the open, back stroke, position; Fig. 1 shows in perspective a modified form of piercing tool, Fig. 1 is a face view of a modified form of die in the open posi- 15 tion, the piercing tools being the same as in Fig. 1 and shown more completely; Fig. 2 is a face view -of the mechanism of Fig. 1 in the closed, forward stroke, position, this view showing a floating plate in longitudinal central section and also 20 showing the product in longitudinal central section; Fig. 3 is .a front elevation showing the dies of Fig. 1' wide open and the floating plate centered between them, the die impression being empty; Fig. 4 is a plan view corresponding to Fig. 25 3 with the die elements closed but empty; Fig. 5 shows a blank of cylindrical stock sheared on an angle, particularly adapted for this process; Fig. 6 shows a blank similar to Fig. 5 but sheared straight across; Fig. 7 shows an elbow after the 30 piercing and forging operation and before the internal web has been bored out; Fig. 8 illustrates an elbow with web bored out; Fig. 9 is a plan view, partly in section, of the die and tool space of a forging machine with auxiliary attachment 5 for carrying out the present invention including the automatic shearing and feeding of blanks; Fig. 10 is a transverse vertical section, with some elements in elevation, through a forging machine with auxiliary attachment, this figure. being 4'0 taken on the line i0l0 of Fig. 9; Figs. 11 and 12 are enlarged details in plan of the dies and shear mechanism, Fig. 11 showing the parts at the back stroke or open position and Fig. 12

showing the dies closed with the sheared oil 45 blank in position to be acted upon by the heading tool; Fig. 13 is a front view of the dies and shear in the same position as Fig. 12, this view being an enlargement of elements which are shown in Fig. 10; and Fig. 14 is a side view taken 50.

on the line 14- of Fig. 9, but showing only the stationary die and shear blade. The process essentially comprises forming a hollow forging, the general nature of which is speciflcalJ-y exemplified for illustrative purposes-as a Y 55 pipe elbow. This formation is accomplished by placing a blank such as In or I I between suitable dies and there forging it into the shape shown in Figs. 2 and 7 by the action of a heading tool of the displacement piercer type in conjunction with a removable mandrel simultaneously gripped in the dies. This leaves the uncompleted elbow I2 with an internal web I3 which is relatively thin and requires the removal of comparatively little metal to make the completed elbow I4 shown in Fig. 8. This removal can be done by one boring, leaving onlya shallow internal rib I3 which is but slightly objectionable.

The preferred tooling comprises dies which cor- I respond to B in Fig. 2 of Patent No. 737,065 or 6 and 7 in Fig. 1 of Patent No.- 809,520, it being understood of course that the dies for use with the present method will be formed with suitable impressions for the work to be accomplished. Fig. 1 illustrates such a stationary die member 20, the

- movable die member being omitted for the sake of clearness. Except for the functions of the floating die plate 22, hereafter described, the

operation is substantially the same whether the will of course be of any desired formation, and,

by way of example, grooves 42 and 43 are cut at the ends to form the collars usual on pipe fittings. From the other end of the impression proper extends a second channel with a deep locking groove 25.

A fixed piercing tool or mandrel 23 with handle 2! is placed in this second channel manually or by auxiliary mechanical means not shown andis locked in position by suitable means such as a collar 24 which, when the dies are closed, is engaged by a groove 25 part of which is cut in each die element. The blank in having been initially positioned by any suitable means, and the dies having been closed, the displacement punch 30, which is a specialized form of header tool, is moved forward to the position shown in Fig. 2 by mechanism of the usual type such as the header slide 3|, Fig. 9, thus forcing the hot metal stock into the form of Fig. 7, as will be clearly apparent from Fig. 2.

The piercing tool or displacement punch 30 is here shown as formed with the usual shank 5| to be held by the tool-holder, a tapering intermediate section 52, the rear shoulder 52 of which affords a stable alignment bearing in the heading tool holder, a cylindrical shank, 54 of length somewhat greater than the channel 40 and of diameter to flt that channel and a displacement nose 55, of reduced diameter. The shoulder 56 between the nose 55 and the shank 54 cooperates with the groove 43 in forming the I the upper edge of the groove 42, completely closes the upper end of the impression. All of the foregoing is readily apparent from Figs. 1 and 2. It will of course be understood that the shape of the noses 26 and 55 may be altered to suit conditions, although present experience indicates the ogival form as best for this type of work by reason of the nose 55 thus shaping the inside of the elbow and the nose 26 allowing free flow of the metal.

The form of blank II), as shown in Fig. 5, is preferred to the form II, shown in Fig. 6, for the reason that the blank I0 has the larger quantity of metal positioned for the long outside curve of the elbow and the lesser quantity positioned for the short inside curve requiring less displacement and less pressure on walls of die impression and nose of heading tool.

The modified tooling, shown in Figs. 1'12, 3 and 4, comprises dies such as 20 and 2i, and a floating plate 22, using the same punch and mandrel. The dies 20 and 2I are opened and closed in any manner and by any mechanism suitable but preferably of the type ordinarily employed in upsetting forging machines of either the horizontal or vertical die slide type -wherein die 20 is stationary and 2| is movable horizontally or vertically with respect to a center line, designated as C. L. in Figs. 3 and 4, the opening being sufficient to release the article in the forged condition of Fig. 7. Matching grooves 25', 42' and 43' are in the die elements 20', 2| and 22, corresponding to the grooves 25, 42 and 43 of the Fig. 1 form. The ends of the floating plate 22 are gibbed as at 32, the action of the ribs 33 on the moving die upon the gib transmitting motion to the floating plate. The dies 20' and 2| give rear support to the floating plate 22 by the broad bearing ribs 33, these ribs being relieved sufliciently as at 34 to allow the necessary opening travel of the moving die. The side plates may be provided with bottom notches 35 to hold them from being pulled off their seats by the withdrawal of the tool and with dowel pins 36 and holes 31. The dowel pins serve to support the blank when placed between the open dies where the die motion is horizontal. In machines of the vertical die slide type the use of these dowels is unnecessary as the blank is laid in the groove of the lower or stationary die. In the form of dies shown in Figs. 1 2, 3 and 4 the floating plate 22 takes the direct thrust of the metal so that the only possibility of forming flash is at the sides and front of the elbow, in which directions the thrust is indirect and consequently the stress less severe.

In either of the above described arrangements of tooling I may use a modified form of displacement nose 55, as shown in Fig. 1*, in which the point is flattened at 5511 instead of being in the drel. The resulting elbow blank may also be machined more easily as there is less tendency to lead the drill to one side as it breaks through the flattened surface. A

In Figs. 9 to 14, inclusiv I have shown a forging machine of a conventional type somewhat similar to that of Patent No. 737,065, but with an auxiliary shear. In this machine the preferred die arrangement 60, 5|, is that shown in Fig. 1, without a floating plate. On account of the stock shearing mechanism, hereafter described, the die is stationary while the die 6| ismovable. The die 6| is thus shown in Fig. 9 as supported directly upon the machine frame 63 while the die 80 is carried by a die slide- 64 moved by the usual type of mechanism. The mandrel 23 and movable approximately half the distance of movethe displacement punch 30 are the same as those previously described.

A suitable form of stock shearing and transferring mechanism is shown in conjunction with the machine of Figs. 9 and 10, the details being illustrated on a larger scale in Figs. 11 to 14, inclusive. By this mechanism the bar of stock 10 is fed into the machine through a feed port H by hand or by the usual step-by-step mechanism properly coordinated with the other movements of the forging machine, but not illustrated inasmuch as it' is not in itself a feature of the present invention. The length of blank is controlled by an adjustable stop 12. When the dies are opened, as in Fig. 11, a shear slide 13 carrying a shear blade 14 across the front of the stationary die 60 is in retracted position. When the die slide 64 starts to close, a link mechanism, generally indicatedat 15, moves the slide 13, thus causing the shear blade '14 to shear off the end of the bar 10 against a corresponding cutter plate 16 inset in the die 60'. The shear blade 14 has a half round recess on its cutting edge by which the severed blank is carried to the feeding position of Figs. 12 and 13 as the dies are closed.

The displacement punch 30 moving forward carries the blank into the die impressions and the remainder of the operation is the same as previously described. It will be noted that the blanks cut oil? by this means are of the form indicated in Fig. 6, having parallel ends although the shear could be made to shear at an angle and blanks like Ill be sheared by rotating the bars 180 between feeds.

It will be seen from the foregoing that I have invented an effective and economical method for forging hollow articles and reliable, simple and sturdy apparatus for carrying out that method, and which method and apparatus enable the pipe elbows or similar articles to be so formed by the forging step that comparatively little finishing is required internally and that all external finishing may be omitted for ordinary grades of work.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the mechanism herein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:---

1. In a forging machine, in combination, a plurality of die elements, a pair of which are separable on a longitudinal plane and relatively movable laterally and another of which is relatively movable laterally a less distance than the movement of said pair, said plurality of die elements when in closed position forming a multipleended impression, piercing tools adapted to be positioned in each of said ends, interlocking means between said die members and one said piercing tool, and means for forcing the other said piercing tool into an end of said impression.

2. In a forging machine, in combination, a plurality of die members, a pair of which are separable on a longitudinal plane and relatively movable laterally and another of which is relatively ment of said pair, said plurality of die members when in closed position forming a curved openended impression, a mandrel having a nose adapted to project into one of said ends, a collar on said mandrel, grooves in certain of said die members adapted to engage said collar, a second piercing tool having a displacement nose adapted to enter the other of said ends, and means for actuating said piercing tool. I

3. A forging machine comprising, in combination, a header slide, a die slide movable transversely to the header slide, a die comprising a fixed die element and a. die element carried by said die slide, a die impression with open ends formed by the dies when closed, one of said open ends of said impression facing said header slide, a piercing element interlocking with said dies when the dies are closed, and being thereby fixed into the other open end, a stock feeding passage through said fixed die, stock cutting means movable across said passage, said cutting means in- -cluding means for positioning severed stock opposite said opening, a connection from said movable die slide to said cutting means adapted to transmit closing motion of the movable slide into cutting and positioning motion of the latter, and a-piercing and forming tool carried by said header slide adapted to move said severed stock 'into said opening and form it in the die by a single stroke.

4. A tool set for forging machines of the type having a gripping slide and a header slide, said set comprising in combination separable gripping die elements which form when together an impression of the article to be forged and channels leading to each end thereof, a piercing element on the header slide movable through one of said channels into said impression, another piercing element and means for holding the same in a part of said impression not to be entered by said first-named piercing element, said holding means comprising a closure for one end of said impression and interengageable members on said closure and on said gripping die elements.

5. A forging tool comprising die elements adapted to meet and part on a vertical plane and when meeting to form a die impression having at least two ends and a passage to said impression, a stationary closure for one of said ends, a forming tool movable longitudinally of the parting plane into another of said ends, and elements at the bottom of said passage bridging the gap between said-die elements when parted.

6. A forging tool comprising die elements adapted to meet and part on a vertical plane and when meeting to form a die impression having at least two ends and a passage to said impression,-

a stationary closure for one of said ends, a forming tool movable longitudinally of the parting plane into another of said ends, and fingers carried by one of said die elements and projectable into the other, said fingers being disposed at the bottom of said passage and across the gap between the die elements when said die elements are parted. WILLIAM W. CRILEY. 

